Immigrant Labour in Construction: United States
I recently repeated the idea that immigrants are disproportionately represented in construction, which seemed obvious enough on its face that I didn't really fact check myself on whether or not it was true. Dug a bit this morning into the data just to be sure and it turns out...yep!
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies published data from 2023 on the share of construction trade workers that are foreign born by trade, which I'm copying below:
| Occupation | % Foreign-Born |
|---|---|
| Plasterers and Stucco Masons (47-2161) | 61% |
| Drywall Installers, Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers (47-2080) | 61% |
| Roofers (47-2181) | 52% |
| Painters and Paperhangers (47-2140) | 51% |
| Carpet, Floor, and Tile Installers and Finishers (47-2040) | 45% |
| Construction Laborers (47-2061) | 43% |
| Insulation Workers (47-2130) | 34% |
| Carpenters (47-2031) | 32% |
| Cement Masons, Concrete Finishers, and Terrazzo Workers (47-2050) | 31% |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 26% |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | 18% |
| Glaziers (47-2121) | 18% |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installers (47-2231) | 17% |
| Sheet Metal Workers (47-2211) | 17% |
| Boilermakers (47-2011) | 16% |
| Electricians (47-2111) | 16% |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers (47-2221) | 15% |
| Construction Equipment Operators (47-2070) | 15% |
I'm interested to see an array of numbers by EoY to gauge the effects on housing supply due to immigration enforcement, namely
- overall costs for construction firms
- wages
- # of housing projects delayed/cancelled
Knock-on effects for housing supply will likely take some time to show up, but a variety of industry sources are reporting patterns that indicate more constrained supply. 90% of firms are having trouble finding qualified workers with 30% reporting immigration enforcement having an impact on their business.